Third person arrested for fatal shooting of Washington County grandmother

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. — A third person has been arrested in connection with the deadly shooting of a Washington County grandmother, Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh tells Channel 11 News.

Kristin Barfield, a mother to three and grandmother to 12, was shot and killed while sitting on the front porch of her boyfriend’s home, May 11.

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The DA has sealed the case, but Barfield’s daughter, Courtney Ellis, tells Channel 11 that the third person arrested and charged with criminal homicide is someone the family knows well and trusts.

“He consoled my brother and mourned with us and to sit up under us and all the while you had something to do with that – it doesn’t get any lower,” Courtney Ellis tells Channel 11.

Two people are in custody in connection with the shooting: 15-year-old Tyriq Moss was arrested around a week after the shooting and Brandon Allen was arrested two days after Moss.

A different man had a warrant out for his arrest connected to the shooting but those charges were dropped. Walsh said, “The charges were withdrawn based upon the investigation and evidence gathered so far. Additional people or charges are possible as the investigation continues.”

According to court paperwork, Barfield was not the intended target when she was shot on the front porch.

“My grandmother was on the phone when her daughter was shot and killed,” Ellis tells Channel 11. “The last thing she heard was gunshots and my mother saying I’m hit.”

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Barfield’s family tells Channel 11 they’re taking it minute by minute and they’re hopeful a fourth and final arrest happens swiftly.

“It’s a struggle every day,” Ellis adds. “When you think you’ve made a tiny bit of headway, things like what happened today rip the wound wide open. We call my mother’s phone and listen to her voicemail just to hear her. That’s all I have left. That’s all I have left of my mother.”

Since the case is sealed, a criminal complaint is not available to the public and the suspect has not been publicly identified.

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